At 08.11 hours on 26 Sep 1940 the Tancred (Master Einar Hansen), dispersed the day before from convoy OB-217, was hit on the port side by one torpedo from U-32 about 600 miles west-northwest of Valencia, Ireland. The torpedo struck in the middle of #2 hatch and caused the ship to settle by the bow due to the flooding of the forward holds. No distress signals could be sent and within eight minutes the 36 crew members (the ship was armed with one 4in and a Lewis MG) abandoned ship in three lifeboats. The U-boat began shelling the ship with 48 rounds from the deck gun, scoring many hits and then left the area before the ship sank to chase another ship of the dispersed convoy. The vessel remained afloat and was re-boarded by the master and a few men to recover extra provisions, the ship´s log book and other valuable papers from a safe in the cabin of the master, but found no access to the cabin due to the damage. The lifeboats remained near the ship until it sank and then sailed eastward. The survivors were picked up the next morning by the Norwegian motor merchant Tricolor in 53°52N/23°07W and landed in New York about a week later.